Summer Warmth
by OkitaRin
Summary: Polite as usual, Natsume Takashi moves temporarily into the Sawada residence. Friendships are made. Rivalry ensues. Fangirls swoon. And ultimately, Natsume experiences first-hand the chaos that Sawada Tsunayoshi brings with him every day.
1. The Distant Relative

**A/N: Hello! How very nice of you to stumble upon this fic. I've been recently obsessed with both KHR and Natsume Yuujinchou and so I've decided on a crossover. I swear, Natsume needs more acknowledgement for his awesomeness. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Natsume Yuujinchou nor Katekyo Hitman Reborn in any form. **

**Unedited. Enjoy.**

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**_Crossover: Katekyo Hitman Reborn/ Natsume Yuujinchou_**

**_Summer Warmth_**

**_Chapter One: The Distant Relative_**

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"Mum, I'm off to school!" A high voice echoed into the house and washed down to the kitchen.

Sawada Nana promptly stuck a head out of the kitchen with a smile and waved. "Take care, Tsu-kun!"

The front door clicked shut as she made her way back into the kitchen, a saucepan in one hand as she set back to work. Humming to herself, a small smile graced her pretty lips.

"Mama?" A tug at her skirt diverted her attention to the infant clad in suit.

"Good morning Reborn-kun!" She smiled cheerily and picked him up. "Are you hungry? Breakfast will be done in a bit."

"Thanks Mama." The infant replied before taking his usual seat at the table, a green chameleon scurrying about on the rim of his fedora.

The doorbell rang at that instant.

"Oh he's here!" Nana's smile grew larger and she made to put down her cooking.

"Don't worry Mama. I'll get the door." Before she could move, Reborn hopped off his chair and made his way to the front door, jumping once for the handle.

The door swung inwards with a small creak and before him stood a fairly tall boy with a feministic face and soft smile. Dusty-blonde hair parted in the middle of his forehead, framing golden-brown eyes with slitted irises. A plain travel bag was held in each hand and to his unreadable surprise, a cat's head poked out.

Golden-brown eyes glanced above in confusion before settling on the infant. "Excuse me. Is this the Sawada residence?"

"Yes." Reborn scanned this boy as he spoke, noticing how the boy's eyes kept averting ever so noticeably into the house as if there was something there behind him. Impossible. "Are you Natsume Takashi?"

"Yes. Nice to make your acquaintance..." Natsume Takashi wondered briefly if he should bow to a baby.

"My name is Reborn." The mafia hitman scrutinised him with a poker face, slightly appreciative of his polite mannerisms.

"Nice to make your acquaintance then, Reborn." The blond boy answered and bowed a bit, feeling ridiculous bowing to an infant.

"Reborn-kun!" A warm feminine voice echoed from within as Sawada Nana hurried out, a pink apron tied delicately around her waist. "Ah, Takashi-kun! Welcome to the Sawada residence!" She smiled cheerily at the boy who smiled back politely and bowed.

"Thankyou Sawada-san."

"Nonsense Natsume-kun, from now on you are to call me Mama alright." She chittered at the door before guiding him in. "Here, let me get that for you and then we can settle you into your room, ok?"

"Ah, Sawa- Mama," He spoke, the word foreign on his tongue. He gently pushed her away when she reached from his luggage. "It's alright. I wouldn't wish to trouble you."

"Nonsense!" Nana dismissed again with the wave of a hand. "We're going to be family from now on. No need to be shy!"

As Nana led the boy up the stairs, Reborn couldn't help but notice how the boy's eyes kept averting from side to side.

**...**

"A distant relative?"

Gokudera Hayato was suspicious. Another stranger that can't be trusted will move into the Tenth's house and live under the same roof as him. An assassination attempt? Was there a possible ulterior motive? _I have to protect the Tenth!_

Sawada Tsunayoshi, also nick-named Loser-tsuna, took one look and jolted into the air. "Hiee! Put your dynamite away Gokudera-kun!"

At Tsuna's request, Gokudera's eyes widened and he hastily stowed them away. "Forgive me, Tenth! Forgive me!"

Tsuna promptly freaked out at his friend's antics. "Ah! I forgive you! Just stop bowing!"

"Now, now Gokudera, calm down." Yamamoto Takeshi laughed blithely and patted the Storm Guardian's shoulder.

"Shut up Baseball-idiot!"

Yamamoto only continued to laugh, avoiding the punch that narrowly missed his jaw.

Tsuna, on the other hand, groaned for peace, packing up his finished bento. Lunch would end soon and he barely had time to inform his friends about the distant relative who would be moving into his house on a short notice. In fact, he was supposed to arrive today, while he was at school. What was his name again…?

"You don't deserve to bask in the Tenth's radiance!" Gokudera snarled in his one-sided fight.

Yamamoto laughed it away as usual before turning to his other friend. "Tsuna? Have you met this distant relative?"

"No. But Mum has." Tsuna confessed. "She said his current guardians went on a temporary overseas stay so he's only here for the time being."

Gokudera immediately snapped out of his rage at the mention of this suspicious relative. "When is he arriving?"

"Today. From next week, he'll be attending this school."

"It'll be fun having another person around then! Is he our year?" Tsuna's Rain Guardian asked with a cheery smile.

"No. Third year." Tsuna answered. "So he'll be in the same grade as Onii-san."

"Sweet!" Yamamoto laughed. "I'll be looking forward to meeting him then."

"No! I don't trust this distant relative of yours, Tenth." Gokudera spat, clearly overthinking the issue. "Isn't it suspicious that a so-called distant relative suddenly pops up and starts living with you? He could be a mafia associate sent to assassinate the Tenth! He could have forged his identity!"

"Eh! What are you thinking, Gokudera-kun?"

"He arrives today, right?" The silver-haired boy ploughed on. "Then I'm staying at the Tenth's place tonight! I have to protect him from this distant relative."

"G-gokudera-kun, you don't have to!" Tsuna waved his hands frantically to dissuade his friend. He hadn't even met the guy yet! He didn't want a bad first impression.

"But I have to protect the Tenth!" The silver-haired boy continued, oblivious to Tsuna's turmoil.

"But- But-"

"Now, now, I think you should let him, Tsuna." Yamamoto chimed in, "He's probably just curious around a new person."

Gokudera rounded on him at once. "I'm not curious, you Baseball-idiot! I'm suspicious. There's a difference!"

Tsuna hesitated and sighed half-heartedly. "Fine. Will you be coming over as well, Yamamoto?"

His friend laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry Tsuna. I kinda promised my dad to take care of the shop today. But I'm sure this relative of yours isn't all that bad."

"I'll blow him up for you, Tenth!" Gokudera shouted abruptly and whipped out his sticks of dynamite.

"Hiee!" Tsuna jolted again, a bad feeling prickling over his neck. "No, you don't have to! Put away your dynamite! What if Hibari-san sees-"

"What will I see, Herbivore?" A looming, dark presence flared up behind.

Fearfully, Tsuna turned around.

The figure stood as menacingly as the first day he saw him, his jacket blowing behind him. The band circling the empty sleeve contrasted red against black, the unmistakable sign of the Namimori Middle School's Disciplinary Council Prefect, Hibari Kyoya.

"N-nothing, Hibari-san." Tsuna stuttered while Gokudera poised to fight, dynamite in hand.

Hibari took a lazy glance at the sticks of dynamite before an evil smirk graced his lips. The tonfas flew out of hiding. "For carrying dynamite on school grounds, I'll bite you to death."

"Bring it on, bastard!"

"Hieee!" Tsuna made a noise of fear and ducked, narrowing avoiding a neat row of spikes. As the fight progressed to loud explosions and the sounds of metal on metal, Tsuna sighed in disbelief, wondering just how, he always ended up in situations like these.

**...**

"Thankyou for the meal." Natsume clasped his chopsticks together before placing them gently next to his finished bowl.

"Lambo-sama wants seconds!" The toddler in cowprint yelled messily, brandishing a spoon into the air beside him.

"Yes, yes, coming up." Nana smiled and took Lambo's bowl. "Does Takashi-kun want seconds as well?"

"No, I'm fine." Natsume smiled softly at her and she chittered at his polite mannerisms, stopping at the edge of the table to bend down, where a cat, predominantly white with orange and black markings, sat licking away at the bowl.

"My, my, I didn't think cats could eat human food." She laughed, patting him gently on the head. "Would you like seconds, Nyanko-kun?" Giggling at the positive response, she picked up his bowl and headed towards the kitchen.

"Fat pig!" At once, Lambo brandished his spoon furiously as he hopped from his chair and landed squarely on the poor cat. "Carry the great Lambo-sama!"

The cat's eyes bulged out from the sudden weight, a tick mark forming rapidly. Natsume tried not to laugh as he stared at the great beast in the form of a lucky cat.

"You… brat…" The cat, also known as Madara, hissed inaudibly as the child in an afro pulled at his ears. "You're… damn… heavy…"

Taking pity on his bodyguard, Natsume relented and knelt down to lift up the squirming child.

"No! Lambo-sama wants to ride the fat pig! Let me go, let me go!" He squirmed in Natsume's grasp uncomfortably. "Let me go, you meanie! You blondie! You girly boy!"

Each insult shot comically into his heart and he hung, depressed, the child still held tightly in his arms.

"Drop him." Reborn ordered as he sat nonchalantly at the table, sipping from his little mug.

"Eh?" Natsume hesitated for a second before releasing the child gently, holding his balance as the child bulleted off and ran into the nearest wall. He flinched and began to shout in worry before stopping abruptly as the child turned around, teary, a large red bump forming on his forehead.

"Hold… It… In…" He sniffed, his entire body trembling. For a moment, all was still before he abruptly burst out into noisy sobs, kicking and screaming. "Lambo-sama wants to ride fat pig! FAT PIG!"

Natsume watched in interest as the child fumbled his tiny hands through his large afro of a hairstyle, pulling random things out. Half-eaten lollies and candy wrappers fell out in a pile, followed by metal, pink objects and toy guns. Natsume's eyes widened when a long purple tube began to emerge from the curls of his dark hair.

_How does he fit all these stuff?_

But before the tube fully emerged, there was a sudden movement from where Reborn once sat. Before he knew it, Lambo had been kicked out the nearest window, screaming. He thought he saw traces of pink smoke.

"Hey!" The blonde boy exclaimed in surprise and worry, sprinting to the window.

"Leave it." Once again, Reborn sat at his seat, sipping something warm from his mug. "He'll crawl back sooner or later."

_Is this normal? _Natsume shuffled uneasily in response, looking back and forth in confusion. Madara only sat there, licking his paw with a smug smile.

"Where's Lambo-kun?" Nana walked back into the room, balancing two bowls of food.

The blonde boy jolted guiltily, unable to speak.

"Lambo decided to go out and play." Reborn answered with the same poker-face before holding out his tiny bowl. "Mama, seconds please."

'Is that so?" Nana laughed obliviously and took his bowl, all the while ushering Natsume back to his seat. "Sit back, Takashi-kun. You came from the country didn't you? You must have had a long journey."

"No, it was alright." Natsume sat back on half of his seat, conscious of a small demon that sat on the other half. In fact, now that he was properly looking around, the place seemed to be teeming with little demons. It wasn't hard to see that they adored Nana as they gathered around her, one latched onto her pink and flowery apron.

Warmth… In the first few hours of knowing her, Sawada Nana was definitely one of the warmest and kindest people that he had ever met. Her smiles were contagious. Perhaps that was what attracted all these little demons to surround her.

In comparison…

Natsume took a short glance in the infant's direction to confirm his observations.

There was a wide radius between Reborn and the little demons, something that picked at his interest. But he didn't dwell on it, as Nana waltzed back into the dining room, Reborn's bowl refilled in her hands.

A tiny imp-like demon scuttled across the floor, dancing between Nana's feet as she arrived. This place… It was so warm.

"Takashi-kun." Nana spoke gently as she hung up her apron. "I hope you'll enjoy your stay here."

Natsume looked up to meet her warm smile and hesitated for the slightest of moments. "Thankyou, Mama." His lips widened in a pretty smile. "I hope so too."

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**Thanks for reading! I've gone for a more simplistic writing style. Please inform me if I need to work more on the settings. Thankyou.**

**And won't you please review?**


	2. Introductions

**A/N: Hi guys :) And so after two years I finally bring you the second chapter of this crossover :) **

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own Natsume Yuujinchou nor Katekyo Hitman Reborn in any form.**

**Enjoy ^^**

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**_Crossover: Katekyo Hitman Reborn/ Natsume Yuujinchou_**

**_Summer Warmth_**

**_Chapter Two: Introductions_**

* * *

Tsuna dragged his sneakers upon the concrete, whether purposely or not he didn't know himself. The inner turmoil within his mind was almost too great, a panicked scenery of worst case scenarios- his house exploding into giant wooden splinters or set ablaze in a cage of flames. What would his _mother_ think?

_What do I do? What do I do?_ Tsuna chanted internally, glancing up every now and then at his friend's silver hair. _What if __**this**__… or __**that**__ happens?_ At the same time, he was nervous. Would their new houseguest like him?

The walk home seemed almost too quick. His sneakers continued to drag as they turned a corner, looking both ways before crossing a street.

"Tenth?" Like the loyal and considerate right-hand man he was to be, Gokudera noticed Tsuna's expression with a concerned frown. "Are you okay? Your face looks a bit-"

"No, I'm definitely okay!" Tsuna cut into his speech, forcing on an uncertain laugh. Inwardly, he despaired. _I definitely can't let Gokudera know!_

The older male gave his friend an unsure look, thin eyebrows pulled together ever so slightly. "If the Tenth says so then…"

It seemed all too soon that they crossed into Tsuna's street, and said male's anxiety only escalated. So much, that if not for the sudden flare of his intuition, he wouldn't have noticed the gaze of two smugly curved eyes trailing them like a predator with prey.

"Hieee!" Tsuna screeched, his nerves already high-alert from the piling stress. His arms flew instinctively over his face, heavily reminded by that nasty Chihuahua that used to bark at him a street over. Animals had never particularly liked him. Except for box-weapons. "W-what is that thing?"

"Tenth?" Gokudera only questioned and followed Tsuna's gaze, stepping back when he, too, noticed it- the fat cat, white with strange orange-grey markings curled high on the brick wall. "Geez. That's one creepy cat." He voiced aloud.

It might have just been Tsuna's imagination, but the cat bristled, sniffing in offence, one short paw raised at them and beady eyes narrowed. There was the shortest of silences between them and as if deemed unworthy of its time, the cat tossed its head and slunk backwards as if to escape behind the wall.

Then just as easily, it barrelled at them.

Tsuna gave a manly screech and promptly fell on his backside as the cat darted through the narrow space between them, leaving Gokudera to holler, spit curses and wave dynamites at the fast disappearing animal.

"OY GET BACK HERE, YOU BASTARD. YOU'LL PAY FOR SURPRISING THE TENTH."

If, in those moments, Tsuna hadn't been as focused as he was on getting the _hell _away from the cat, he would have wondered later that if cats could snicker.

…

"Mum! We're back." Tsuna yelled and hesitated nervously at the front door. Gokudera followed closely, poking his silver head around the doorframe.

"Welcome back Tsu-kun, Gokudera-kun!" His mother hurried down to greet them, dusting off her skirt. "How was school?"

"G-great." Tsuna forced out and hung his head in depression, remembering how he spent the last minutes of lunch dodging fatal projectiles. "School was great."

Nana smiled warmly before proceeding to dust her son's shoulders, ruffling his soft hair fondly. "And you, Gokudera-kun?"

"It was fine, Tenth's mother." Gokudera replied as he, too, took off his shoes and set them neatly next to Tsuna's.

"Where are Ipin and Lambo?" Tsuna asked. For once the house was devoid of the raucous, obnoxious laughter. There was no Lambo barraging into his face as he walked through the door nor little Ipin chasing behind him.

"It seems they have gone out to play. I haven't seen them since this morning…" Nana pressed a finger to her lips in thought.

Tsuna shuffled in his spot. "Mum?"

"Yes, Tsu-kun?"

He hesitated. "Is it okay if Gokudera-kun stays the night?"

The silver-haired boy bowed abruptly. "Sorry to intrude, Tenth's mother!"

Nana waved a hand at him. "Nonsense, Gokudera-kun! Of course you can stay the night. You're welcome to stay whenever you want. But I'm afraid you'll have to sleep in Tsu-kun's room this time- we have a new addition to our family so the spare room's been taken..." She trailed off, pressing her index finger to her bottom lip.

"No, no, I don't mind at all!" Gokudera agreed whilst Tsuna glanced around warily.

"Has he arrived?" He asked tentatively, referring to their expected house guest.

"Yes, Takashi-kun arrived almost right after you left this morning. He's such a sweet and polite boy- I'm sure you'll get along just fine…" Nana smiled and tilted her head. "Ah, just wait a minute, I'll call him down now- Takashi-kun!"

"N-no you don't have to-" Tsuna stuttered slightly, his hands reaching out to hold her back. But she had already hurried up the stairs, her long skirt billowing out behind her. From his peripheral vision, Gokudera had tensed, eyes hardening as if for battle and brown-haired male screeched inwardly.

All too soon, Nana came back down again, with another person with her- with gold-brown eyes and dusty-blonde hair that parted evenly on either side of his subtly feminine features. He was almost as tall as Gokudera, a soft, polite smile upon his face. Tsuna smiled automatically in response.

"Tsu-kun. Gokudera-kun." Nana began warmly, oblivious to her son's edging nervousness. "I would like you to meet Natsume Takashi. Takashi-kun has come from the country and will be living with us for the time being. Make sure to show him around okay?" She introduced cheerily, unaware of the not-so-subtle stares of suspicion that Gokudera had worn onto his rugged features. "And Takashi-kun, these two are Sawada Tsunayoshi, my son, and his friend Gokudera Hayato-kun."

"Nice to meet you, Sawada-san, Gokudera-san." Natsume bowed politely, his blonde bangs covering his eyes for the briefest of seconds.

"Just Tsuna is fine- and it's nice to meet you too." Tsuna hurriedly dipped his bushy hair, taken aback by his formality.

Gokudera scoffed rudely, only muttering out the pleasantry in the presence of the Tenth's mother.

Oblivious to everything, Nana only smiled before heading off to the kitchen. "Now boys, play nice. I'll just go and prepare dinner. In fact, Tsu-kun, why don't you show Takashi-kun to your room? I'll bring up some snacks later."

"M-mum-" Tsuna stumbled over his words, wary of the scowl upon his Storm Guardian's face. _Don't leave us._ He wanted to say, but couldn't as his mother turned away, smiling as obliviously as usual.

Natsume on the other hand, thought similar thoughts as Nana left to the kitchen. The open hostility that emanated from the silver haired boy was obvious, through his body movements- the clenching of his hands and the permanent scowl across his face and the judging eyes that stared at him intently.

He had never seen this guy before, had never angered him in any way. So it came as quite a surprise when the boy stepped up to his face and _demanded_.

"_Who_ sent you."

Natsume blinked with confused gold-brown eyes. "Are you referring to the Fujiwara's?"

"Gokudera!" Tsuna looked scandalised, and raised a fruitless arm to pull back the older boy. "Stop this."

There was a pause, a tense silence in which Natsume felt distinctly scrutinised by that long glare.

"Fine." Then the boy called Gokudera stepped back indignantly. "But only because the Tenth said so. If you so much as creep around wrongly, I swear I'll blow you up!" If possible, his scowl increased and Natsume found himself taking half a step backwards, not out of fear, but more due to the concept of personal space.

"I… understand." Natsume replied steadily, still obviously confused, slightly intimidated and unable to stop his statement from forming a question in the face of the boy's open glare.

Tsuna laughed nervously, relieved that no sticks of dynamite were pulled out this time. The silence that lingered was almost too much for the brunette, his eyes darting about for anything- anything that can relieve the rapidly building tension in the room.

"Show him around, Loser-tsuna." A sudden squeaky voice suggested- no, commanded, making his presence known from a hidden compartment from the floor.

"Reborn! Since when were you-" The brunette exclaimed loudly, turning to face the baby decked in tourist garb. The same green lizard scurried about atop of his large straw-hat.

"Reborn-san." Gokudera too, inclined his silver head in acknowledgement.

Natsume only jolted, blinking away his surprise at the baby _who had just emerged from the floor_.

The baby hopped onto the bench, his large bottom-less eyes trained on the brunette. "Natsume just arrived, Loser-tsuna. Showing him around is also a part of your duty." He paused, looking intently at the teen.

_Duty… as a mafia boss. _Tsuna could _hear_ the unspoken words at the end of his sentence. His hands were already in front of him, ready to deny when a lime green gun cocked abruptly at his forehead. The safety pulled off with a sharp click.

Tsuna screeched loudly, hands up and over his head. "Okay! Okay! I'll go!" He shouted, no doubt thinking despairing thoughts of tyrants and sadists as he sprinted up the stairs, presumably to put down his things. With a shout, Gokudera followed in much of the same fashion.

"Rebo-" And in that few seconds of rapid steps running up the wooden staircase, Natsume turned to speak to Reborn, only to find thin air where the baby once had been. His gold eyes widened just a little in surprise and amazement.

But before he could voice his thoughts, the heavy steps were already running down the stairs again, Tsuna rushing past Natsume to hurriedly put on his sneakers.

"Ah Tsuna-kun, you really don't need to-" Natsume began but was shot down in an instant by the frantic brunette.

"It doesn't matter!" And Natsume found himself being pulled out the door, giving him just enough time to throw on his boots. "Mum! We're going to show Natsume-san around!" Tsuna yelled into the house.

"Okay! Be back soon!" Nana poked her head around the corner with a fond smile as the last of Gokudera's silver hair slipped out of sight, the door slamming loudly. And it seemed like the house was finally silent. "Oh, Reborn-kun. You're not tagging along?" She questioned curiously at the baby who had decided to reappear, sitting cross-legged on the bench.

"No, Mama." He replied in his usual squeaky voice, the large sunhat overshadowing his features. "I've got work to do." And he hopped off the bench, making his way towards the stairs. "I'll be down for dinner."

The infant disappeared up the stairs and out of sight. "My, my how grown up." Sawada Nana giggled quietly, bustling slowly back to the kitchen. She was already preparing for dinner, dicing the onions for a delicious stir-fry. But as she looked around, slightly confused, the needed equipment seemed to have disappeared.

Nana frowned slightly, a finger to pursed lips. "Ah, that's strange. I thought I left my knife here…"

…

Outside, along the streets of Namimori, Tsuna thought about the places to take his newest acquaintance.

"Tsuna-kun." Natsume began again as they walked, glancing every now and again at Gokudera's glare, the silver-haired male walking protectively at Tsuna's side. "You really don't have to show me around if you don't want to-"

"It's no trouble at all." Tsuna reassured with a smile, one that fell slightly as he too, glanced over at his other friend. "Right, Gokudera?" He not-so-subtly nudged the silver-haired male, who scoffed a reluctant word of acceptance, followed by an inaudible curse.

Natsume smiled unsurely. "Okay then."

As good as his word, Tsuna showed him the park, the streets, the shortest routes, making a small detour to Namimori Middle School (which Tsuna refused to go pass the gates for some yet unknown reason) and down to the shops. They talked about themselves, their likes and dislikes, their experiences, their friends; Gokudera eventually adding his own input into the conversations, albeit a little tempered and still squinty-eyed from suspicion.

"- I have two good friends back at home. They may be a bit crazy at times but really fun to be around." Natsume confided, a soft, genuine smile hidden partially by long bangs from the side. Tsuna's gaze lingered a moment too long.

"R-really?" Inwardly, the brunet despaired at how many leagues apart their definitions of crazy probably were. "Well, I didn't really used to have that many friends… but then I met Reborn and-"

Natsume listened attentively as Tsuna went on to describe his friends, chuckling at the right moments and glancing to his face every now and then to show that he was still listening. Although he laughed genuinely when Gokudera interrupted Tsuna's speech with narrowed, protective eyes.

"The Tenth has me, and that's all he needs." He had interjected, oblivious to Tsuna's apologetic smile and turning on Natsume's unconcealed laughter with a glare. "What are _you_ laughing at, huh, _Blondie_?"

Natsume made a noise of disbelief at his new nickname. Tsuna laughed apologetically. And the sightseeing continued.

It was kind of nice talking to them both- even Gokudera, Natsume decided as they walked down the street, the shops busy on their either side. It felt carefree and eventually, even the occasional suspicious glare from the silver-haired male on Tsuna's other side felt rather normal after a period of time. Namimori was a nice place- the air fresh, cool, calm and cloaked with civilization in comparison to the deep scents of wood and tree and water of his country residence; the biggest difference being the hard, concrete paved footpaths under his sandals rather than the dusty trails and unsmoothed roads that Natsume would often trek.

It was different. But it was a nice different.

…

"Welcome to Takesushi!"

The restaurant was bustling with life, the wooden seats taken up by regulars and newcomers alike. Tsuna smiled and Gokudera scowled but dipped his head in respect when Yamamoto Tsuyoshi beamed at them from behind the counter, his aged features contorting slightly to holler to the back. "Takeshi! Your friends are here."

Within a minute, Yamamoto Takeshi emerged from the back, taking off his shop's apron in the process. His trademark laughter added to the bustle of their customers and he waved, face lighting up as he made his way to them. "Yo! Tsuna. Gokudera."

"Hey, Yamamoto-kun." Tsuna waved, his lips lifting into a wide smile. Yamamoto's laughter was contagious.

Gokudera clicked his tongue distastefully. "Baseball-idiot."

"Ah, Gokudera! You came!" Yamamoto grinned.

"Don't get the wrong idea." Gokudera warned, his scowl solid and permanent. "I'm only here because of the Tenth."

"Who's this?" The tall teen asked, all friendly smiles and laughter, holding out a hand to Natsume who stood reservedly behind the other two. "Yamamoto Takeshi. Nice to meet you!"

Obliged, Natsume took his hand in a light but firm grip. "Natsume Takashi. It's nice to meet you too."

"Takashi?" Yamamoto laughed as he noted, withdrawing his hand. "Our first names are so similar. Only one syllable apart, Natsume." He laughed again.

"Yeah." Natsume agreed, offering a smile as the taller teen led them to a table to the side.

They talked and they ate, the afternoon hours flashing by until Yamamoto was dragged from his seat by his father's call. But that did nothing to diminish the number of people at their table. Sometime through lunch, they had started accumulating people.

The first of which slammed the sliding doors open; tall, beautiful and mature against the afternoon sun with straight pink-red hair that fell to her waist, a stylish leather jacket and skinny jeans. And to Natsume's horror, Gokudera promptly face-planted into his untouched plate of salmon, twitching and gurgling.

"Ciao." The woman greeted silkily, acknowledging Yamamoto's father before casting a concerned glance to where her brother laid face first into his plate. "Oh dear, Hayato."

"B-bianchi!" Tsuna was the loudest out of all of them, as he stood up, his attention divided between the sorry state of his right-hand and the woman making her way towards them and taking the seat across from Natsume. "What are you doing here?"

"I happened to pass by. I hope I'm not intruding."

"N-not at all!" Tsuna found himself stuttering, backed up by Yamamoto's cheery demeanour.

"The more the merrier!"

Bianchi smiled, green eyes narrowed just the slightest in interest as she rested her chin onto one hand. "And so, who is this?"

And Natsume found her sweetened gaze turned on him.

…

Gokudera never did recover. Every time he managed to gurgle and look up weakly to Tsuna's laughter, it took one glance of Bianchi's beautiful features to send him spiraling backwards again. Natsume didn't know what to make of it, after being explained of Gokudera's condition by Tsuna- Bianchi being Gokuderas half-sister and how atrocious she was with food.

Bianchi kept mentioning her 'poison cooking' in a nonchalant manner, as if it was a title rather than an ability. Tsuna kept laughing it off loudly whenever she started mentioning her victims. And Natsume remained confused, but laughed along.

But what he was definitely not confused about was the plates of sushi that had turned deep purple and smoking on Bianchi's side of the table. He wasn't even sure if the food- _if it can even be called food anymore_\- was actually swarming with worms and maggots or not due to the immense density of tiny wriggling, one-eyed demons all squealing and squelching over each other surrounding and digging into the purple gunk.

Natsume turned green and tried not to look. He was glad that Tsuna shared his disgusted gaze, meaning that, yes, Bianchi's purple food was visible to all and that he didn't need to find an excuse to explain to Tsuna why exactly he was leaning as far away from Bianchi as he can, chair scraped back so far he was bumping into the neighbouring customer.

But he was fine. As long as there stood at least half a metre between the putrid dishes and himself, he was fine. He had dealt with worse demons at closer proximities.

He was fine. That was, until Bianchi stood up abruptly, feminine features contorted, picked up the plate of disaster and _threw it_, screeching out a name that Natsume didn't comprehend.

And Natsume yelled out, eyes wide to duck under the table as tiny, wriggling demons were rained down on him. He was glad Nyanko-sensei wasn't there. He'll never let him live this down.

With his arms over his head, ducked under the restaurant table, he heard Bianchi storm out; heard the sizzling and the putrid stench of something _melting_; heard the laughter of the younger Yamamoto and the angry yelling of the elder one. And when he peeked up again, there was a dripping purple _hole_ in the sliding door, with some of the worm-like one-eyed demons swimming in the rotten wood.

Natsume wasn't sure whether he wanted to cry and apologise with Tsuna over the bill for damages or laugh with Yamamoto over the craziness that just occurred that he cannot explain. Somehow, he felt that all this has happened before.

…

Bianchi returned half an hour later, with apologies (_'I thought I saw a fly') _, bringing along two young girls, an orange-haired girl and a brunette called Kyoko and Haru respectively.

Tsuna froze in his seat and commenced stuttering a greeting, which the girl named Haru broke, rushing forward to wrap her arms around a suddenly tense Tsuna.

"Tsuna-sannnn! I missed you!" She yelled happily whilst her friend remained behind her, a radiant smile across her face as if it was perfectly normal to have a smoking hole in the shogi door behind them.

"Hi Tsuna." Sasagawa Kyoko beamed, hands clasped delicately together at the front. "Reborn-chan came by and told us you were treating for lunch?"

"M-me? L-lunch." Poor Tsuna looked like he just swallowed something dead and putrid. "Of course, K-kyoko-chan…"

And so, introductions were made again.

Gokudera was still on the floor from when someone had pushed him from his seat, arms around his stomach and eyes shut tight. Miura Haru knelt down to poke at his shoulder and abruptly, he rose from his curled state to tell her off with an angry scowl. But a scolding from his older sister warning him to treat girls better sent him back into his little hell.

Natsume watched with a sense of fascination, preferring to sit back and observe rather than to participate in the occasional bantering. But then again, there were the conversations that he was obliged to participate in.

The questions were getting repetitive to be honest, with new people going to and fro. What was his name, how old was he, where did he come from, how did he find Namimori, and which school he was going to.

But Natsume answered each and every one as patiently as he can. It was always a phase that occurred whenever he met new people or changed schools. He wondered how long their interest would last. Bianchi, in particular, was quite specific with her questions, sweetly scrutinising with some sort of deadly air, bordering on topics that Natsume would rather not think about- his family in particular. He was grateful when Tsuna would cut in for him, diverting the questions and asking other less intrusive ones. Things like his favourite food or hobbies or interests in general.

Soon, to Natsume's relief, Bianchi left abruptly at the call of a phone and lunch ended without much of a fuss. Gokudera recovered amazingly and was back to his permanent scowls and jeers and sudden one-eighty mood swings when it came to Tsuna.

And Natsume found himself gaining two lovely girls and a sushi-chef's son as part of his escort team around Namimori.

It really wasn't too bad, this Namimori, Natsume thought as he stood back from the hype of the group, as if watching a film unwind itself- the silver-haired Gokudera with his leather jacket and chains snapping heftily at the merrily grinning Yamamoto; the two girls chatting over the top of the duo whilst Tsuna tried and failed to calm the two and blushing and stammering whenever the girl named Kyoko would drag him into conversation and the raging Gokudera would turn his attention to Haru's snarky remarks instead of Yamamoto and said male would pat his back none too lightly to try and resolve the dispute and…

Natsume didn't know when he stopped walking to just stare at how close and tight-knit the group seemed despite their differences. It felt like something out of a slow, soundless video when Tsuna turned back for him, a slight look of concern over his face. They all did, the girls with their curious smiles, the silver-haired boy with his scowl and Yamamoto with his laugh.

"Is there something wrong, Natsume-san?" Tsuna voiced and Natsume shook his head lightly and jogged to catch up with them.

"Nothing at all."

And really, it was nothing. Natsume smiled and laughed as he got caught up into Kyoko and Haru's chatter as they lead the group to what they proclaimed as the best café in Namimori- with the best cakes and sweets and weekly specials.

Yamamoto put a welcoming arm around his shoulder, his voice cheerful and as loud as ever as he popped a friendly conversational starter. "So Natsume, you liking Namimori so far?"

"Yeah." And Natsume replied, golden-brown eyes warm as he smiled and finding that it wasn't altogether untruthful. "Yeah, I do, actually."

And he did.

…

Even dinner was a rowdy affair at the Sawada household. Natsume found himself meeting more of the household occupants. There was the sweet, quiet child Fuuta who kept asking if he wanted his ranks, which Natsume declined politely. And then there was the energetic but dutiful Ipin who he found, seemed to constantly chase and scold after Lambo's naughty antics and raucous laughter.

Nyanko-sensei still hadn't returned since breakfast and Natsume was slightly concerned since he rarely missed home dinners but brushed it off, knowing that he'll come back sooner or later.

It was a warm dinner of chicken stir-fry and rice with many side-dishes. They sat at a long wooden table, with the children, Lambo and Ipin on one side with Nana who fussed gently over them, an irate Gokudera sitting next to the afro-haired child and Tsuna, Reborn, Natsume and Fuuta sitting on the opposite side.

The youkai that scurried across the floor and sitting at the edge of the table were still there, some glancing curiously at Natsume, squeaking and looking away when he looked back at them. Perhaps it was just the hype of having a new visitor at the dining table. Natsume hoped this was the case, squirming slightly as a small, goblin-like being climbed his shoulder to tug at his hair.

It was there for a while. Standing there, on his shoulder. Tugging at his hair to keep balance. Contemplating, maybe. And Natsume let it stay there, thinking it harmless.

That was until it dived abruptly from his shoulder to wrestle with his right hand, lunging for the silver fork in his grasp. He yelped as tiny claws dug into his soft skin. A loud clang resounded as he knocked a glass over, staining the tablecloth orange, the food that had been halfway to his mouth tumbling down his shirt.

Frantically, Natsume flicked his arm backwards and flung both the youkai and the fork behind him in an arc, breathing heavily, heart pounding in surprise. And then there was a stillness. Eyes widened when he found the entire of the Sawada household looking at him with confused expressions.

"I- There-", Time seemed to stop. He struggled to get the words out to explain his actions, to _stop looking at him like that- like he was insane and weird and __**oh**__. Of course this family wouldn't be any different just because they had treated him like a normal person-_

_"_GYAHAHAHA", Lambo's obnoxious laughter broke the stillness, his short arm pointing to Natsume's frozen and horrified face. "Girly boy's as clumsy as baka-tsuna GYAHAHAHA."

Immediately, Ipin scolded him for his rudeness and everyone started talking all at once.

"Are you ok?" Fuuta, who sat next to him asked softly and before Natsume could reply or even nod an affirmative, Nana was already bustling towards him from the other side of the table, paper towel in hand as she soaked up the juice and wiped the spilled food off the tops of his shirt.

"I'm really sorry, Nana-san." Natsume looked down, the embarrassment catching up to him as he tried to help.

"No no it's fine, my Tsu-kun is much clumsier. You should hear about the things he did when he was smaller. He's so clumsy he has a tendency to trip over thin air." She chittered, smiled and gave him another fork before stepping away, nudging her son warmly as she passed.

Tsuna spluttered and his face reddened. "_Mum!_"

Everyone laughed and Gokudera stood up to proclaim how the Tenth shouldn't be ashamed of all the great things he did in the past.

This only made Tsuna sink lower into his seat to hide his burning face. And finally, Natsume let out a small chuckle, shoulders relaxing again.

Strangely enough, after that incident, Natsume had by chance glanced over to where Reborn sat only to be given an intelligently curious look, eyebrows pulled just the slightest together in a frown. But then he blinked and the baby was back to munching on his food at a steady rate, making Natsume wonder if he had merely imagined it.

But other than this, being grilled with random questions or almost getting his food stolen by Lambo, Natsume found himself having fun.

But they never found that silver fork.

* * *

**End of 2nd chapter. Hi guys, here's to hoping that was to standard and thankyou ALL so much for all your support since the release of the first chapter. Sorry about the long wait, even though plotwise nothing really happened in this story. I was so grateful to see all these positive reviews piling in and two years ago, I had been planning on making shoutouts to the last or noteworthy reviewers but since I've dallied on this long its seems hardly fair, no?**

**And so A BIG THANKS TO:**

**Aosora 'Aoi-chan' Yuzuki, blackkyu, Castella Leena, Guest, Loner Kid, Psycho Nocturnal, Dareagon, TheEvilKittyCat, Guest, binan, Guest, aka, Mapleworld312, Emina Minami, xenocanaan, Alanis Strife, ShadowSnowdapple, S, Pecha Pichu, Yorutsuki-Lunia, Meep, Konno Miharu, myheartsegg, Guest, Marion, Not-Gonna-Update, LaLunaLight, runescape, viviane1993, Guest**

**as well as those who found my story worthy of a fav or follow. Thankyou for all the support and here's to hoping the next update to be quicker ^^**

**Cheers :)**


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